The Truth of a Sin
by Skeren Dreamera
Summary: Discontinued: In one fell swoop, things change radically for the Elric brothers, starting when Alphonse goes missing one day. Adopted by Krystal Kitsune Uchiha
1. prologue

**Title:** The Truth of a Sin  
**Author:** Skeren Dreamera  
**Pairings:** It's going to be some form of Elricest  
**Disclaimer:** we all know only the idea is mine  
**Warnings:** A slight TWT issue, there are spoilers!  
**Feedback: **Mickeofas (at) Yahoo (dot) com  
**Notes:** Set around chapter 40 in the Manga, which is what I'm basing this from in the first place. I never got far enough in the Anime to base it on that. It's after the whole Ross thing, but I'm hazy on just when that was, forgive me! Oh, and please, this is my first FMA fic, don't stone me!

Prologue

Edward didn't even have time to open his mouth before Mustang cut across his words, there being no sign of the smug taunting that was usually present on his face. "Fullmetal."

Thrown by the tone in the Colonel's voice, Edward paused, uncertain how to approach this new side of the older man. He'd just wait until he was acting normal again then. "Sir?" He didn't sound as certain as he would have liked. He knew it shouldn't be that easy to throw him off, but it was a special case.

The Flame Alchemist already knew this wasn't going to be easy, and he wanted the boy away from him if what he had to say caused an explosion of some kind. He had no doubts that his news would be taken badly. He gestured to the couch on the other side of the room, setting his pen and papers aside. "Do sit down."

The worry that had been itching at his gut before he'd even come back to Central surfaced again, but he firmly pushed it down. He'd been feeling uneasy since they'd left to come back. He'd even demanded Armstrong bring him straight to Central as quickly as possible, and won because of his unease. Mustang's current actions only served to make him twitch. "What happened?"

The dark haired man shifted in place slightly, doing a level effort to show nothing but his outward calm instead of the dread over the reaction his words would cause. "Fullmetal, please, sit."

Edward stared at his commanding officer for a moment and clenched his jaw. He just knew something happened to someone he cared about. Mustang hadn't been this nervous since he'd dodged telling him about Hughes... He moved closer to the desk, ignoring the idea of sitting altogether. "What _happened_?"

Mustang shuffled his papers to one side of his desk in a slow motion, deliberately stalling. "There haven't been any serious injuries that we are aware of."

Edward didn't like that opening in the least little bit. There were implications hidden in that, things that it didn't cover that could still be very bad. He put his hands on the desk, leaning forward on it to get closer to Mustang, needing him to just say what he was going to already so he could see it wasn't really all that big of a deal. Just a joke. He rephrased his question slightly, saying it in a low, calm voice. "Sir, are you going to tell me what happened?"

No more stalling then. He couldn't duck out of it when Edward's fierce eyes were burning into him with that strange calm, as though he already knew what he was about to say. "We lost Alphonse."

Edward stopped breathing entirely for a moment, a flare of panic sparking before going flat in his eyes. The calm voice wasn't gone, but it was edged in a chill unlike Edward's usually explosive temper entirely. Then again, anything concerning his brother tended to bring out a different side of him. "You did _what_?"

The Colonel leaned away from the other alchemist, easily seeing the accusation being directed at him. He still maintained a level voice though. "We lost Alphonse. He went missing not long after you left, and there has been no sign of him since then. He didn't leave the city either, at least not by train."

Edward gritted his teeth into a parody of a smile in a manner reminiscent of a predator bearing its teeth. "In that case, I have no reason to be here at present. If you'll excuse me sir." He didn't wait for a response to his threat filled words, the controlled tone entirely out of place. He left quietly, and the soft click of the door seemed louder than any slam might have been.

Roy grimaced, then cursed softly. If Edward had exploded, he would have known how to help outside aiding in the search, but the quiet control was another matter entirely. He'd never seen the boy so controlled before, and the change was disturbing. All he could do was hope that Alphonse was found quickly.

To be continued.


	2. chapter one

**Title:** The Truth of a Sin  
**Author:** Skeren Dreamera  
**Rating:** R until further notice  
**Pairings:** Elricest. Not sure what else.  
**Disclaimer:** We all know only the idea is mine  
**Warnings:** A slight TWT issue, there are spoilers  
**Feedback:** mickeofas (at) yahoo (dot) com  
**Notes:** I said the when of the story last chapter, now I'm going to warn you that I am taking liberties with a character that wasn't introduced in the bits I've read yet. Yay. Oh, and Al finally enters the story!

Chapter one

Alphonse became aware of his surroundings slowly. He was rather alarmed when he realized that he had no idea how he came to be in his current predicament. He moved slightly, and the clink of chains made him aware of what the sensation was around him. He couldn't feel the chains exactly, but he'd been aware something was there. Looking around, he noted that he was in a dark place, and that the wall he was against was within arms distance of the sliver of light coming from under the door across from him.

This situation was looking depressingly familiar. "Niisan isn't going to be happy..." Sighing to himself, he rattled the chains around, making sure he was as well secured as he'd originally thought. It wouldn't be very wise if he had to be rescued when he could have left on his own.

The soft words seemed to be enough to draw attention from outside the room as the door swung open scant moments later, revealing a slender figure being highlighted with the light from behind him. A second later the door closed and Alphonse got a look at the captor who'd come to greet him. "Awake are you Armor-san?"

"Don't call me that." Alphonse never liked being reminded of what he was. "My name is Alphonse Elric. What am I doing here? Where's my brother?"

"Yeah, I know who you are, and there's no need to be like that." The emerald haired sin crouched down in front of Al with a wide grin. "I thought you knew your chibi-san rode off into the sunset! Here you need me, Envy, to tell you that! For shame."

Alphonse, contrary to the cocky sin's intentions, relaxed back against the wall with a subtle clank. He'd forgotten that Armstrong had made off with his brother not too long before this happened.

Envy's smug grin faltered with this reaction, and he tilted his head, trying to understand what comfort the armored boy could possibly have taken in his words. "Aren't you worried he won't come back?"

"Niisan will come back. He made me a promise, and he doesn't break his promises." Alphonse turned his face away from the baffled sin, listening as he left the small room after a moment of hesitation.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Envy visited often after that, asking questions that drew out honest answers which seemed to somehow throw him off balance in turn. He was always alone, so the other sins didn't see the un-Envy-like actions. That was why Alphonse wasn't really all that worried when the door opened, though he quickly changed his mind as he saw an unfamiliar round shape blocking off the light. He wasn't given time to try to identify the new person, instead being quickly undone from the wall and dragged out into the bright light of the room beyond the one he'd spent so much time in. The actions were a bit more violent than was really required since Al didn't try to fight.

"Calm down Gluttony. If you break him, we might not be able to make this work. Lust wouldn't have liked that."

Al froze, forgetting to resist as the chains were rearranged around him. He knew that voice. He ended up as he was because he'd wanted to hear that voice again. "Mom?"

The woman being addressed spun around to face him, giving him a spacey smile as she shook her head. "I don't think we've met child. No, be good and you won't need to worry any." She patted the top of Alphonse's head before she turned to tug on Gluttony. "Leave him to Envy. I'll get you something else."

The oversized sin whined, giving Alphonse a decidedly disturbing look. "But Sloth!"

"Lust would have wanted it like I say." Waving a hand as her vacant look returned, she wandered away, completely ignoring the stunned teen she left in her wake.

"Lust..." Sighing mournfully, Gluttony turned and quickly followed the woman, mind having been firmly placed upon his dead friend.

Alphonse could only stare, in shock that one of these destructive beings wore his mother's face. Envy took advantage of the distraction to come stand in front of the teen. "You look confused Armor-san."

"Stop calling me that." He thought he'd gotten Envy out of that habit. His thoughts immediately circled back around to the being that looked like his mother though, unable to keep them at bay. He came to a conclusion that disturbed him about her, yet seemed to also fit. It wasn't an encouraging thought.

Envy sat in front of where Alphonse had been chained and tilted his head. "I still don't understand why you trust."

"I've told you before. You can't live without trusting someone." Alphonse studied the sin, moving his attention from his outlandish hair to his feet before sighing, not sure he should be curious about the attire.

"But you aren't alive." Envy smirked, shaking his head.

"I am alive! I might not be flesh and blood right now, but I am alive!"

Envy's smirk widened with that and he shook his head. "Don't be like that. I'll even be nice and let you in on something. I'm not alive either. Better?"

Al sighed, drooping as he realized that even if Envy got it, he was going to pretend he didn't. "You seem more alive than I am." He finally took the time to look around the area they were in. It seemed to be some sort of well-lit underground room. "Where am I?"

Envy rolled his eyes. "Why would I tell you?"

Alphonse sighed, seeing the return of the playfulness that Envy favored now that the others had left, and he tugged at his chains. "Right. Of course. How long have I been here?"

Flashing a dark grin, Envy spoke. "Two weeks."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alphonse spent the next two days watching the sins working on alchemy arrays with a rising sense of worry. He didn't comment on the work, having been brushed aside early on when he'd bothered to comment, and instead just watched the detailed circles form. There were two mirrored arrays on the walls, facing each other to Al's left and right, but they were miniscule compared to the veritable mural that lay between them, the one on the floor being more intricate by far. Sloth and Envy seemed to be arguing now, and clearly had been since before the three sins had entered the room. He'd gathered, so far, that it involved the circles, and a way that they were to be used on him. The thought alone was petrifying.

"If we do this, we'll be no better than _them_." Envy tried once more to talk Sloth down, apparently having been playing the part of sanity in the argument.

She simply waved away the argument as though it were nothing. Certainly, Dante wouldn't be happy if this were discovered, but she saw no reason it might come to light. Beyond that, she didn't see any point in worrying at all. "We will do better, you need not make such cruel comparisons."

Envy growled, watching the others as the pair brought various items into the circle. He hated how he was always brushed off like this. He was the eldest, they should listen to him. "It won't prove what you want it to, so you really shouldn't mess with things that will get you in trouble."

Sloth merely smiled and shook her head, finding her own odd solution as to the reason for his arguments. "It's alright Envy, you can just watch. You don't need to help."

Alphonse felt her eyes on him then, but simply ignored her, the presence that she seemed to exude disturbing him far more than anything else. No, his attention was trained on Envy, and he caught the determined glint in his eye. He'd learned within the first five times that they talked that if he applied what he knew of his brother to his being, that he wasn't really all that hard to read. His musings were rudely interrupted by Gluttony, who'd detached him from the wall and was hauling him into the center of the circle that was spread out over the floor.

Sloth was walking around the circle as she checked that Gluttony hadn't messed up any of the chalk markings, but her satisfied expression turned annoyed when she realized her bulky partner seemed disinclined to release Alphonse from his grip. "Put him down, it's ready."

Gluttony tightened his grip on the figure for a moment before dropping him with a loud clang onto the items already in place. He moved to Sloth, pouting. It wasn't a very appealing look for the sin. "I'm still hungry."

Sloth sighed, shaking her head. "Later, this first." It was immediately apparent that there would be an argument, and the woman pulled her partner aside to try to reason with him.

Envy took advantage of the distraction to move forward, changing a few of the marks with a dash of the chalk or a smudged line. He made sure to keep an eye on the pair who'd done most of the actual work on the circles. Alphonse saw a chance for answers and seized it, whispering. "What's going on?"

Slit violet eyes shot to Alphonse before the sin smirked. "Something. Hope for your own sake I did it right." The opportunity for gaining any further answers was lost as the other two returned, Envy moving to join them. "I'll help. You two don't have a chance of doing this by yourselves."

There was a flash of light, the colors swirling brightly around Alphonse before suddenly he was unaware of anything at all.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The next thing Alphonse knew, he was suddenly very... cold. He could feel the icy stone floor against his front and face, as well as the slightly warm fingers that were touching his upper back. The shriek of outrage that followed the movement of those fingers actually hurt too, seeming far louder than anything he'd heard in years.

"What did you _do_? This should be gone! _He_ should be gone!" That could only be Sloth, as he knew the tones of his mother angry very well, even if this woman was not really her.

There was a laugh before another, warmer, hand rested on his back as well, between his shoulder blades. It was Envy that replied to Sloth's anger. "That seal is still there because I made it so." The warmer set of fingers caressed where they rested, drifting higher, and Alphonse shuddered with the force of the sensation that caused. "But look! He's no human with this. You failed what you wanted to do, stop being angry and just live with it."

Suddenly, Alphonse felt himself being lifted, the air moving around him being almost too much for his sensation starved mind. He clenched his eyes shut with a whimper against how much brighter everything seemed all of a sudden. He only heard a hushing sound before everything faded away. He'd passed out.

To be continued.


	3. chapter two

**Title:** The Truth of a Sin  
**Author:** Skeren Dreamera  
**Rating:** R until further notice  
**Pairings:** Elricest. Not sure what else.  
**Disclaimer:** We all know only the idea is mine  
**Warnings:** A slight TWT issue, there are spoilers  
**Feedback:** Mickeofas(at)yahoo(dot)com  
**Notes:** We finally get to the actual story part of the story! Yay. Sorry, too sleepy for a real note this time.

Chapter two

There was no sign of Alphonse for a month. In that time, Edward had driven himself to exhaustion chasing down pointless leads in the city as he ignored everything else going on in the world. He threw himself into the search with more veracity than he ever had in his search for the answers he'd been seeking while his brother was at his side. Mustang had only tried once, early in the month, to send him somewhere else on a mission. The reception the idea alone had received the iciest reaction the Colonel had ever had the misfortune of seeing from the elder Elric brother, and he hadn't considered the idea again after the display. After that incident, the only thing the older alchemist could do was make sure that the search moved quickly, because it was clear Edward would be of little use until his sibling was located, one way or another.

Edward knew, intellectually, that Alphonse wouldn't have been hard to spot in a crowd. He was fully aware of how badly the suit of armor that was his brother stood out in a crowd. Still, there had been leads in the beginning of the search that had given him hope, and he'd followed them with single-minded determination until all his sources ran dry. For about the first week he'd been able to maintain an aura of icy determination, but it had faded quickly after Mustang's felled suggestion of travel, leaving his companions to suffer the aftermath. No, after that his usually short temper became truly volatile as he stopped sleeping regularly, even leaving his meals to wait as he followed yet another dead end.

Winry's reaction to Edward stopped being encouraging by the second week as one too many failed attempts to get through his thick skull left her wanting to beat him. He simply couldn't see that he wasn't the only one worried in the situation. She'd fixed his arm and left him to stay with Gracia, taking comfort in the woman's presence as she helplessly watched Edward drive himself into the ground. He simply wouldn't acknowledge that it wasn't just him and Alphonse against the world, and it pained his childhood friend to no end. The last week of the search had been something of a relief to those who cared for Edward, as they'd convinced him to rest. Because really, what go would he do his brother if he passed out not seconds after finding him?

That was how he came to actually be in his room for once when a rather exuberant amount of knocking landed on his door, nearly scaring the life out of him. They wouldn't have ushered him to his room on strict orders to remain in the building one day just to say he could leave the next, would they? Maybe they had news instead? That thought spurred him to open the door, but his earlier shock turned to complete bewilderment as he registered who was standing in front of him. "Envy?"

The violet-eyed figure gave him a lopsided smirk before shouldering past without invitation, being careful of the blanket wrapped bundle he held in his arms. "Step aside blondie, I need to be out of sight before someone sees me."

Edward was shaken out of immobility and closed the door quickly, tossing the locks as he tried to decipher the almost polite tone that Envy had used a moment before. Compared to the last interaction the two had with each other, that had practically been the Sin making nice. "What are you doing here? I don't have time to beat you up right now." He'd only managed to get an uneasy nap the night before, and he'd been about to do some research to pass the time more quickly until he was allowed to resume his search.

Envy rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively before settling himself on Edward's bed. As soon as he was arranged properly, he began tugging the blankets away from the form in his lap. "It's worth your time Chibi-san." Before Edward could gear up for an explosion, Envy flicked the topmost blanket, revealing the person he'd been unveiling to be a small, dark blond teen.

As hoped, Edward choked back his rant before he could get a syllable in, his eyes widening as he took in the features of the person unconscious in Envy's lap. "Al..." His voice faded into a whisper before returning in sharp accusation. "It's a trick!"

Envy gave an evil little grin, clearly amused by the assumption. "I'm glad you think I'd bother to do something so elaborate to you, but no." Shaking his head over the alchemist's apparent stupidity, he started to prod rudely at the sleeping blond, not letting up until bronze colored eyes flickered open, darting around in a near frantic evaluation of the space he was in. The emerald haired sin's reaction only served to baffle Edward entirely. He started to coo a little, catching the teen's chin in his fingers before he could work himself into a panic. "Rapture! Rapture, if you'd just calm down for a second you'd see what you were looking for over there." Envy released the teen with that, gesturing at Edward with some hidden amusement in his eyes.

Frowning slightly, Rapture calmed, then his gaze followed the direction of the gesture to land squarely on Edward. There was only a second, as relief and joy washed across the youth's face, before he was firmly attached to the older teen in a nearly painful hug. How said blond had managed to move so quickly would remain a mystery. "Niisan!"

That was, without a doubt, the voice of Edward's little brother, and he couldn't help returning the hug. His voice was a cautious whisper when he spoke though. "Al?"

"I missed you so much." Alphonse ignored the tears that streaked his face as his brother tightened his grip. Ever since he'd discovered he could cry again, he couldn't seem to stop the tears from falling when he became overemotional. "I would've come back sooner, but I couldn't get away! I'm so sorry Niisan! I tried."

Envy watched the reunion for a few long moments, but couldn't take the turn that the conversation was taking in silence. Rapture had a tendency to babble on when allowed, as he'd quickly discovered as soon as the boy had been left in his care. "He's not a human."

Edward finally remembered the sin with the statement, golden gaze shooting over to Envy distrustfully as he pulled his brother closer, half-afraid the man would try to snatch him away again. He couldn't deny the form in his arms was his brother. He looked like him, if older, but that wasn't what convinced him. It was how he felt, some indefinable thing that just screamed that this was his Alphonse. But... none of that meant that his brother was a human. "What?"

Alphonse leaned back a little, swiping the tear tracks from his face as he cut off Envy's explanation before he even got started by raising his hand in a stop motion. It was baffling to Edward why the sin seemed to heed the nonverbal statement. "He said... that I'm not a human." He moved the hand that had been extended Envy's direction up to comb through his loose shoulder length hair, not even noticing the recently developed nervous gesture. He glanced up at Edward through his lashes with a sigh. "A few of the homunculi decided to use me for an experiment but-" The explanation ground to a halt as something that had been nagging at him finally made its way into his comprehension. "I'm shorter than you?"

"Well..." Edward hadn't really noticed before then either, still caught up in the fact that Al was here, and wasn't metal. He couldn't help the slow smile that crept across his face, though Envy had to ruin the moment for him by starting to laugh.

A flush crept up Alphonse's face before he waved his hand around in a careful motion in an effort to get them to shut up. He was looking at his hand while he did it, as though to be sure it didn't hit anything. "That wasn't what I meant to say!" He huffed at Envy's continuing laughter, then turned to his brother in an annoyed fashion. "But I'm not human. They didn't get the results they were after. See, I have something that shouldn't be there even if they _had_ managed to make me human." He turned a little, shrugging the black and red coat off and tossing it on the table before tugging the hem of his white shirts upwards until the blood seal he'd been wearing for so long was exposed, looking like black ink on his skin. "That is there because Envy decided to intervene." He tugged his shirt a bit further, feeling the intensity of his brother's gaze on the designs between his shoulders. "And this is there because of what they tried to do." Sitting just at the edge of the blood seal was the circular mark of the Ouroboros, making the marks look like some strange infinity symbol.

Edward raised his left hand, keeping the right firmly around Alphonse's waist as he touched the markings, realizing abruptly that the spot was far cooler than anywhere else on his brother's body. "So... You're a homunculus?"

Alphonse released his shirts, letting them fall back into place as he tugged off the black gloves he was wearing. After tossing them on top of the coat, he hugged his brother again. "Well, sort of, yes. I have my soul still though. Envy said that wasn't normal."

Said sin snorted, not all that interested in hearing his own opinions quoted when he was still sitting right there. That, and he couldn't stand the touchy feely business any longer, he simply couldn't understand it. "A homunculus shouldn't be made with a soul. I guess whatever I changed let him keep the stupid thing. He wasn't as unstable as most of the new ones are either." He paused, suddenly wishing he'd explained this better before he'd brought Rapture back here, but it was too late now, and the kid needed to know. "Usually it takes more pieces of a stone to even a homunculus out."

"What? Where did he get them?" Edward pushed his brother back a little to run his gaze over him, as though trying to pin down where the stones could have gone.

"Envy gave me part of his." Alphonse smiled a little, looking sideways at Envy with a warm expression. He looked back to Edward, sighing. "I hope you two don't fight anymore, he's the only reason I'm not as bad off right now as I could have been."

Envy looked uneasily at Rapture, then sighed a little as he looked at Edward. "Don't worry Rapture, my reason for hating the chibi doesn't seem all that viable anymore."

Edward felt his brother's pleading gaze drilling into him as he met Envy's eyes head on, until he finally relented. "Don't expect us to get along perfect or anything."

"I won't." Alphonse leaned his cheek on Edward's shoulder and peered at Envy. "Shouldn't you get back before they realize you left with me?"

Envy blinked, then remembered that Alphonse had been knocked out because one of those stupid unawareness circles that Sloth had been messing with. She really wasn't living up to her namesake anymore, but then, neither was he. "Well, I can't exactly do that. I don't have any inclination of being killed repeatedly for helping you get away. Sooooo," a wide smirk adorned his face, "I'm staying with you two chibis!"

Edward stared at Envy incredulously, though when faced between letting Al go or attacking Envy, his brother won out. He couldn't help but lash out verbally instead. "Just who are you calling little??" He blinked, realizing that had come out much less wordy than planned, then resumed a glare.

Alphonse also gave an un-amused look, having caught the plural. "You didn't say anything about staying once you got me out before! I thought you were going to go back. Besides that, why are you making height jokes?"

"You are smaller than the other chibi now Rapture, I couldn't resist." He smirked over the dual evil looks that statement earned him and shook his head as Edward tightened his grip on his sibling. "Now, just what gave you the idea I'd be going back there anyway? That's just stupid. Someone needs to keep an eye on you, and I'd rather it not be those idiots." He rose to his feet then, walking backwards towards the window. "Don't worry if you don't see me for a few days, I'll be getting my own accommodations." Giving the pair no chance to come up with a real reply, he slipped out the window.

Edward turned his attention back to Alphonse as soon as the window fell shut again, unable to shake off the disturbing idea of Envy lurking about. He managed to distract himself as soon as he saw his brother's smile though. He moved his left hand to his mouth, taking off the glove with his teeth and tossing it aside so he could run his fingers reverently over the soft skin of his brother's cheek. He looked perfect, and he wasn't sure that this wasn't his overworked mind creating some mirage.

"This isn't a hallucination right? Creepy homunculus aside, I'm not going to wake up and find you missing or a suit of armor, right?" He couldn't help the slight pleading note in his voice, though he chose to ignore it, knowing Al would understand not to bring attention to it either.

"It's all real Niisan. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." Alphonse smiled tenderly, leaning his cheek into the light touch, though he found it odd that he had to tip his head back to peer up at his brother. He couldn't help a curious wonderment about whether he'd even grow after this, with his height stolen by the twists his life had taken.

Edward broke Alphonse of those thoughts before they could honestly get started, walking backwards until he hit a chair with his legs. As soon as he was seated, he dragged his brother into his lap, wrapping his arms back around him tightly as he hid his face against his shoulder. It was only after a few seconds of relearning his brother's scent that he took a moment to look at the outfit his brother was wearing. It was the antithesis of his own, mostly white, with black running along the edges. The gloves he'd taken off had been black, and the coat black with a red design. He'd been too caught up to notice the almost perfect switch in the clothing from his own attire. Now that he had, he couldn't help a stare.

Alphonse followed the direction of his brother's gaze curiously, then smiled a little. "Envy must have done it while I was unconscious. I wasn't wearing anything this nice before. He likes irony a bit too much I think." His bronze eyes flickered to violet for a moment before falling back to their former color.

Edward stared at Alphonse's eyes for a moment longer as he caught the color change, musing over what it meant. What it could mean. He hugged his brother tighter, feeling a little hazy now that he was sitting. "Yeah, what's with the Rapture thing?"

"They wouldn't call me by name anymore after the change. It took me a little while to find something I was willing to let them call me that fit in what they were trying to pick." Alphonse didn't care to muse over the somewhat sadistic group he'd just left behind, and his thoughts veered briefly to Envy. He still didn't understand why the sin was so fixated on him all of a sudden.

"Yeah? I don't know why you picked that, but I guess that maybe Rapture could fit you. Maybe. I still like calling you Al better." The sleepy blond nodded a little, putting his chin back on his brother's shoulder as he closed his eyes, just wanting to rest them for a moment. It only took a minute for Alphonse to realize that his brother was out cold. They'd just have to talk it over later, since he was sure he'd eventually get around to questioning him about the name again. But it could wait. Edward needed his rest more.

To be continued.


	4. chapter three

**Title:** The Truth of a Sin**  
Author:** Skeren Dreamera

**Note:** To be clear on something one of my groups isn't realizing. I count Envy as an Elric! Thanks! This chapter is devoted to the more traditional Elricesters in the audience though. Sorry for the delay people, I had a plot hiccup when I tried to do _way_ too many things too soon in the story. Oh yes, and in case anyone gets it into their head to yell at me, I'd like to ask you all just which of the seven sins Al happens to be. C'mon, you know you know. And um... I thought I sorta kinda HTMLed this a _while_ ago... The next chapter should be up _much_ faster!

Chapter three

Alphonse started his attentions not long after Edward's inelegant descent into unconsciousness. Shaking his head with an affectionate smile over how exhausted his brother clearly was, he moved his hands up and started to pick the barely solid braid apart. He took his time, first just unfolding the stands, then finger combing them, far too entranced by being able to just feel what he was doing to care that he was taking far more time than was even partially required for his chosen task. It was only when he managed to break himself from the spell he'd placed on himself while combing that he realized he needed to get his brother to bed. Sighing, he untangled himself from the impressive grip to get to his feet.

The next second, he found himself flattened to the floor, and he really couldn't appreciate the brief flare of pain that streaked over his back as he hit the floor. He ignored it though when he heard a quasi-urgent plea from his brother, who he could have sworn was dead asleep a few seconds before. "Don't go!"

"No Niisan, I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Pushing himself up with an elbow, he ran his unused hand over his brother's upper back, trying to soothe him. He only then realized that it had been purely instinct that had led to the tackle, as the larger blonde was still asleep. "Niisan..." He shook his head on a sigh. "Let's get you into bed, okay?"

An affirmative mumble followed the words, and it was a second later that had Edward's fingers almost fused to his brother's shirt, he was holding it so tight. It was only then that it really struck him how cruel of him it had been to not consider the why of the clingyness he'd been on the receiving end of earlier. They'd never been separated like that before. Anytime they'd had to be apart, it had been somewhat brief, and they'd always known where the other was. This time, neither of them had known where Alphonse had been shuffled off to while Ed was gone.

Nudging his brother a few times so that he could move, Alphonse got them both up off the floor, using the strength he'd discovered he possessed just days after Envy had drawn him into awareness. It had taken pieces of he red stone to bring his senses to a bearable level to him, unfortunately. It was only once he was on his feet that he realized his brother was cradled in his arms, and his heart stuttered in pained memory. How many times had he had to carry his brother like this once he got hurt? Why couldn't it have ever been fun for the other blond? He resolved that he'd try to find a way around his brother's wariness in showing weakness at that point. He needed to fix those memories with something nicer.

He had just settled his brother against the covers when he considered the tangle of cloth Edward was caught in, completely ignoring the fact that he was clinging in his sleep. Running his gaze over him, he noted that he was without his coat, so he wouldn't have to struggle with that. But he was wearing everything else, right down to those boots of his.

"You really do overdress Niisan." A faint smile accompanied the words.

Sighing, the smaller brother twisted around a little, managing to change the grip on him so he could take off the shoes. Once he accomplished that task, he dealt with the socks. He considered going for the gloves next, but changed his mind, going for the overshirt instead. Things continued on in this manner, with a rather large amount of rearranging, until Alphonse had successfully rid his elder brother of the clothes he'd been wearing. Even the gloves, though they ended up being the last things off.

Of course, once he got his brother nude, he realized that really hadn't been his intention in the first place at all. Unable to cover the other blond up without taking a good look at him for the first time in many years, he straddled his thighs, tracing a couple scars with his fingertips before just resting his palm over the sleeping teen's heart. He was at a loss as to how he'd failed to see the scars. He'd known they were there, of course, how could he not? But he hadn't seen them. He hadn't recognized that his brother had aged either, losing some of the roundness of his face into a promise of masculine beauty. That made Alphonse blink a few times in confusion by itself, and he shook his head.

"Did you hide from me Niisan? Is that why I never managed to notice these things?" He spread his fingers, resting his other palm along his sibling's ribs as he stared at him, just glad he had the sensation of touch again. "Or was it me? Had I really become that lifeless?"

There wasn't any answer from the sleeping teen, and Alphonse just shook his head, sighing softly as he lifted his hands. "No, I wouldn't ask you that. You'd never give me a straight answer anyway." Pressing his fingers together lightly, a ripple of energy passed over him, leaving him bare of his own attire without the need to struggle with boots. "Goodnight Niisan."

Shifting to the side, the younger pulled the blanket across them, resting his ear over his brother's heart before finally drifting off to sleep as well. As much as he'd become fond of Envy, he hadn't felt right sleeping properly without Edward near him. Now that he was there again, he could let himself indulge.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Edward woke well into the next morning, and his initial reaction was to snuggle back into the comforting warmth that enveloped him. The next thought was a deep confusion as to where the hell the sensation was coming from. For years he'd either been comforted, or warm, not both. His brother had tried, but neither had wanted to risk scalding Edward to cuddle comfortably when he was upset. Thoughts of Alphonse brought the memory of the previous night, day...? He wasn't sure which anymore, but he remembered he was there, and he snuggled back against the bare form plastered to his side.

Wait. It only took that long for him to realize that they were both very naked. He couldn't begin to understand what had led to them being so, and the next following thought was the one that he needed to go to the bathroom because, brother or not, he was getting a hard on. It made him keenly uncomfortable, and he nearly cursed when he realized that Alphonse had pinned him in place in his sleep.

He didn't want to wake him, but his brother did not need to find out about his buried feelings in this manner. Lowering his voice to a mortified whisper, Edward nudged his shorter sibling. "Al? Al, I need to get up."

The reaction he got in reply wasn't at all the one Edward had been counting on, unfortunately. He rolled over, resting his leg over his brother's, knee folded up so that he was pressing against the current cause of the problem ever so lightly. The elder might have been able to deal with that, but then Al decided to announce he was awake with a sleepy murmur. "Hmm Niisan, sleep well?"

"Al?" Edward inched away, stopping just shy of what could be called squirming. He didn't have the heart to just push his brother off of him so he could make a break from the area. Instead he settled on seeking an answer to his earlier confusion. "Why'm I naked?"

Alphonse huffed softly and raised his head, regarding his sibling for a long moment. "Because I undressed you. You looked like you hadn't gotten a proper rest since I last saw you." He shrugged a little, sliding his leg up a little as he cracked his currently violet eyes open a little so he could start tracing over Edward's scars again, curious over the texture of the skin.

Edward immediately made a slightly strangled sound in his throat and grabbed his brother's wrist, inwardly certain that the other blond was unaware of his reactions, even if he was practically laying on top of him. He simply didn't think that Alphonse had ever observed his reactions closely enough that he knew what he was doing to him. "Al, don't do that, okay?"

A blink of vaguely puzzled eyes was the immediate reply as Alphonse tried to work out just why he was being protested. He hadn't minded his touch before he passed out, so it couldn't be the attention itself that bothered him. Maybe it was the fact it was making him react? He hadn't really expected it to do anything else... He lifted his head. "I want to touch you."

The elder nearly whimpered at the faintly eager undertone in his brother's voice and dearly hoped it was just enthusiasm in having his senses back. It was simply too early for him to deal with this. He tightened his fingers a fraction. "No, you don't. Not right now anyway, really."

Alphonse dropped his head back to his brother's shoulder with a sweet smile. "Niisan, you can be so silly, you know that? If my touch is bothering you, just tell me."

Edward's breath picked up as the words had been followed with a little shift in his brother's position that applied a firm pressure to his aroused state. "I... no... I just..." He couldn't focus on his composure anymore if he was going to talk, so he just closed his eyes, wishing Al would stop squirming. It was making it really hard to be a good brother here. "I shouldn't let you."

Alphonse finally figured out what had Edward so worked up. If he'd wanted him to stop it, he would have done _something_ to stop him from teasing him that way, but he hadn't. So that meant he was feeling guilty for being interested. He could understand that. He felt about the same after he'd woken up, but he'd decided it only mattered if his elder brother wasn't interested at all. Apparently that wasn't the current case.

Sliding his hand out of the slackened grip, Alphonse decided to make himself clear, flicking his fingers over a nipple to get his full attention again. He wasn't disappointed, considering how his eyes flew open, the younger of the pair had to say that worked very nicely. Or, he might have if he hadn't decided to make sure he wasn't reading this all wrong and kissed his brother.

Edward immediately tensed, completely frozen in place. It was only after a long moment of stillness between the two that he finally returned the kiss, unable to puzzle out why his younger brother wanted to kiss him in the first place, his own feelings aside. He couldn't protest being treated in a manner he'd rather wanted to be though, so he simply brought his hand up, resting it lightly at the base of his brother's neck until he pulled back up for air, their eyes meeting.

The eyes flickered back to the bronze they'd been when he'd first arrived. "Niisan, would you let me touch you? I missed so much about you without my senses... I want to relearn you, let me, please?"

Edward nearly faltered under the plea in that gaze, but he couldn't just let it go. The kiss had served as a wake up call, and the words had only confirmed his worries that the other boy just wanted to do everything all at once in completely the wrong direction to reconnect. "Al, you can't mean that. Just think about it, okay? I'm your brother. You can't really want to do something like that with me, can you?"

"I know who you are Niisan." He leaned closer, unfazed as he sensed that his brother didn't really disagree. He had no idea how he knew, but it was easy for him to see. He just breathed in the scent of citrus and metal that had lingered even before their accident. He'd once thought Winry should have smelled of metal, but that had always been something of his brother. "I want to memorize you in every way I possibly can. That... It doesn't disgust you, does it?"

Uncertain how to handle the spiral of events that led to the current situation, Edward had to shake his head in the negative. He ran his fingers over the smooth skin of his brother's upper back, only by luck skipping past the marks, unaware of the reaction they would have earned him. "No, it doesn't. I just don't understand." He bit his lip as guilt rose in him. He should have done this for Al. He should have made him flesh and blood again.

"It's because I love you. I don't need any other reasons." He smiled a little, shaking his head over the oddity that was his brother as he rested another tender kiss on his lips before pulling away. "But, I think I'll give you a chance to get used to the idea, okay? Come on, you need a shower. I can tell you haven't had one in at least two weeks."

Alphonse had already dragged him halfway out of bed before Ed realized what was going on now, and he couldn't help the slow smile that made it's way across his face. Whatever else was going on, and no matter what had changed, this person was still his baby brother. After all, it's not like anyone else could flip like that. Not even he could go from seductive to demanding someone bathe in less than a minute. Any worries he'd had before were laid to rest at that point. "I'm hungry too."

We'll get food after you get cleaned up, come on." He dragged his sibling along, pretending to ignore the almost goofy smile of happiness that had made its way across his brother's face. He knew why he was smiling like that after all. It wasn't all some dream. He'd put every effort into making them both realize that. For instance, as soon as his brother had been cleaned and fed, he was going to soundly beat him in a sparring match. He needed the practice in this new body anyway.

To be continued.


End file.
